CF Flashcards
How has the demographic of CF pts changed overtime?
Used to be a disease of only children, now we see adults also being affected.
What is the inheritance pattern of CF?
What is the carrier status in the UK?
Autosomal recessive - 2 faulty copies required to present with CF
Carrier rate: 1 in 24 carriers
What is the likelihood of a child being born with CF in the UK?
1/24 x 1/24 x 1/4 = 1 in 2500 births in UK
(likelihood of two adult carriers meeting and that child having CF).
How many people are affected with CF worldwide?
70, 000
What are the likely offspring of two carriers?
1 child affected
2 unaffected carriers
1 unaffected non carrier
What is the protein affected in cf?
Describe this protein
CFTR - cystis fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (chloride channel)
2 nucelotide binding domains that go through the cell wall and an R domain –> forms a gate with a regulatory domain at the bottom that opens and closes
What class of protein does the CFTR channel belong to?
What does it allow to move into the cell?
ATP driven transmembrane conductance regulator
regualtory domain moves
allows negatively charged Cl- ions through the cell wall
Also plays a role in Na+ transport, Cl- moves, Na+ follows
What occurs to the CFTR to cause CF?
what is the overall effect of this?
mutation within DNA –> protein w error
CFTR = complex protein; ER normally ensures correct protein folding, packaged into vesicle and is sent to the cell wall
Misfolded protein –> does not get transported to cell wall
Lack of transport to cell wall, no Cl- transported out the cell, dry sticky mucus an epithelial cell membrane
Thick secretions; harbours pathogens
What are the complications of CF?
Obstructive lung disease
harbouring of pathogen
infection
inflammation
causes lung damage
leads to respiratory failure
What is the principle of tx in CF?
Early intervention
prevention of lung damage
disease modification
How do you diagnose CF?
- Newborn screening (UK only) –> Heel prick test
What are the conditions screened for in the UK via heel prick test?
CF
congenital hypothyroidism
sickle cell disease
phenylketonuria
medium chain acyl coa ….
What are the pro’s/ cons to screening via heel prick test?
Pros: early identification and early intervention; prevention of disease progressing, familial support given early
Cons: missed individuals falsely reassured, not preventing disease,
What makes a good screening test?
needs to be an important problem
needs to be a good test
needs to be some form of intervention
screening needs to actually help
needs to be able to be implemented
What is screened for in CF?
Immunoreactive trypsinogen (produced by pancreas)
How are IRT levels used to categorise CF risk?
Low IRT –> changes of CF v low
higher IRT –> look for genetic mutation –> if 2 mutations CF suspected, 1 mutation susepcted carrier, no mutation CF not suspected
What is a second test used to diagnose CF?
Chloride sweat test
How does the CF sweat test work?
Epithelial cells with CFTR channel also found in sweat duct
CFTR channel brings NaCl back into the cell, in CF the channel cannot do so and NaCl sits on the skin
CF will have elevated concentrations of sweat chloride; normally this is very low.
What is the effect of screening?
Child with median age of survival against 1940 –> median survival only 1 yrs
2007 heel prick test came in nationally, see median age of survival move up into 30 yrs
medical definition of disease
medical definition of illness?
Disease –> alteration in biological structure or functioning
Illness –> experience defined, the innately human experience of suffering
What are the sx of CF in newborn?
What are the sx of CF in older children?
Newborn:
loose fatty stools (due to lack of absorotion of fats, lack of pancreatic enzyme)
repeated chest infection
productive cough
failure to thrive/ slow growth
bowel obstruction (meconium ileus presents in 1/5 babies)
Older child:
chronic sinusitis
nasal polpys
pancreatitis
constipation
recurrent chronic pancreatitis
infertility due to congenital abscence of vas deferens or thick cervical mucus
metabolic bone disease
diabetes
liver disease
What are the different severities of CF mutation?
class 1 stops protein being produced at all –> no fucnction
class 2 –> misfolded protein –> does not transport to cell membrane –> no function
class 3 –> gets to cell membrane but problem with regualtory domain, does not allow conductance
class 4 –> conductance problem, Cl- movement is slower .
Class 5 –> turnover mutation; working protein but not enough of it
What is the timeline of CF pathology?
Treatment approaches for CF:
Thick sticky mucus
- Thick sticky secretions –> dilute, shift the secretion
- hypertonic saline –> osmotic action; hydrates mucus
- nebuliser used 1/2 a day
- DNase (dornase alfa or pulmozyme) –> synthetic enzyme that cleaves neutrophil DNA which makes the mucus particularly viscous (after neutrophils apoptose).